Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:SMBC) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 27,379 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 12% from the previous session’s volume of 31,006 shares.The stock last traded at $54.80 and had previously closed at $55.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SMBC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $57.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.99. The stock has a market cap of $611.56 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Southern Missouri Bancorp (NASDAQ:SMBC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The savings and loans company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.07. Southern Missouri Bancorp had a net margin of 17.72% and a return on equity of 10.45%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. will post 5.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Southern Missouri Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. Southern Missouri Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.09%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Douglas Bagby sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.08, for a total value of $413,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,240,680. This trade represents a 25.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 16.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southern Missouri Bancorp

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Southern Missouri Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth about $5,228,000. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,690,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Southern Missouri Bancorp by 243.0% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 86,033 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock worth $4,936,000 after purchasing an additional 60,953 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 147.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,957 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $5,082,000 after buying an additional 53,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Southern Missouri Bancorp by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 104,175 shares of the savings and loans company’s stock valued at $6,105,000 after buying an additional 33,902 shares during the last quarter. 49.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Southern Missouri Bancorp

Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Southern Bank that provides banking and financial services to individuals and corporate customers in the United States. The company offers deposits products, including interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing transaction accounts, saving accounts, certificates of deposit, retirement savings plans, and money market deposit accounts.